Friday, December 2, 2011

LIGHT and DARK

It is on rare occasions that I get preachy on my blog, because I don't want to cause any dissension amongst friends and family. I know that the Holy Spirit cares more about me (and all believers) to live in unity rather than in dissension. He calls us to be bridge builders, to forgive (even when we feel we are right), because we have a light that shines before all men, and it is a light that is not to be hidden! God even tells us in Matthew 5:16 "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." So before I continue I would like you to read a passage from Isaiah, and another from Luke:
Isaiah 5:19-21


19 to those who say, “Let God hurry;
let him hasten his work
so we may see it.
The plan of the Holy One of Israel—
let it approach, let it come into view,
so we may know it.”
20 Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
and clever in their own sight.

Luke 11:33-35

The Lamp of the Body
33 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy,[a] your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy,[b] your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.


The idea here is that "Christians" who do things in secret or live their lives in the shadows are in grave danger of NOT being Christians at all. God is very clear throughout scripture that you cannot live both in the light and in darkness, you cannot serve two masters! I have learned in my years of ministry that people who do things in secret do so because they know that what they are doing is wrong. Those who hide their light under a bushel "OH NO" do so because under that bushel they can say or do whatever it is they want to say or do, and eventually their light will shine no more. Once you begin living in the darkness then you will never understand the light, because in that darkness you can say or be anyone you want to be. A close personal friend and mentor Keith Drury said that as Christians we should strive to live our lives as open books and to have EVERY page available for the public to read. The reason for that is because if you hand someone the book to your life but black out a few pages here and there or tell everyone that they can read every page but the last 4 pages, so as humans what pages do you think we would be most interested in reading??? That is why I truly do my best to live in the light. That is why my blog is for the world to read, it's also why I have so many friends on facebook and will add just about anybody, because I have nothing to hide! I don't have secret aliases nor do I have spies or use others accounts so I can "hide" what it is I'm attempting to do! The only reason one would "hide" is so they can keep saying or doing what they've said or done in the dark because they know if the light were to see into the dark then their deeds would be exposed. The Lord say's "Let your light shine before ALL MEN, so that your good deeds may be seen and the Lord be Glorified!"

My hope in writing this is to not cause more drama, but to prevent it. It's easy to say whatever it is you want to say when no one knows who you are, because in the dark there is no one there to keep you accountable. My world is wide open, and I challenge you to live your life with an open book too because there is freedom in that. I know that there are things in my past that are hard to answer but the beauty of being a believer is knowing that once I've asked for forgiveness then that sin is no longer mine!!! That is one amazing God that we serve!!! Those with Godly wisdom can discern between right and wrong, good and evil, light and dark simply by noticing if a person is wondering in the shadows, blocking their comments, saying one thing but doing another, these are all signs of someone who does not know the light. There will be times when even those who live in the light say or do the wrong thing but when living in the light we have friends who lovingly correct us, family that prays for us, a church that is there for us, and a loving God who Forgives us!!!

Again, I'm sorry for the sermon, but it felt like it was needed and Holy Spirit inspired. I love you all.